Avatar: Legend of Asha
by Cecil Manzi
Summary: After the death of Avatar Wan, the first Avatar, a child by the name of Asha was born into the war torn world. Guided only by the voice in her head and thought insane by everyone in her small airbending village, Asha is ready to learn all four elements and become the next Avatar, even at the risk of her comfortable life away from war. Rated T for mature themes. OC-centered
1. Prologue: Asha

_**Okay, so I've wanted to write an Avatar fanfic for a while, but I didn't want to write something ordinary, so I thought "why not write about the Avatar after Wan?". So yes, Asha is an OC. I changed it a bit. Air Temples aren't technically established yet. You'll see why later one. The Air Nomads are currently Air Villagers and the live in villages while they go to Temples to train. I really hope Asha doesn't turn out to be a mary-sue. Of course, this only the prologue, so we don't really get to see much of her personality yet... Hold on until the next chapter, she'll be fifteen because the creators of the original series seem to like skipping over that age.**_

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><p><strong><span>Asha<span>**

The flames swirled around one remaining person. He knew that the rest had either fled or died in their suicide mission and he cursed himself for bringing them into it. They'd been loyal to him and he nearly killed them all. For a few seconds, he was quiet as he stared up at the smoke-filled sky with half-lidded eyes. When he spoke, his voice was deep and clear, barely reminiscent of the tone he used in his young adult years. "I'm sorry, Raava... Even with Vaatu locked away, darkness still surrounds humanity," he took a moment to pause, his hand reaching for the wound in his side. Death was imminent and it was to come soon. "There wasn't enough time."

_Don't worry..._ The female voice rang clearly in his mind, nothing but silence to the rest of the world and the old man found comfort in it. _We will be together for all of your lifetimes..._ the man known as Wan closed his eyes._ And we will never give up._

Wan relaxed, knowing that Raava was more than right. He let out one last breath as he body went limp. Raava curled herself out of his body, sadness weighing heavily on her as she left him behind. She descended into the sky, flying next to birds and the occasional dragon. Her mind immediately went back to Wan as she searched for his spirit. Firebending was the first element he learned to bend... Then, air...

She dove into the next airbending village, pulling to a stop. Humans wandered by her as if she was invisible. Now, she was. Something yanked her in the opposite direction of she was moving in. After a second, she followed her instinct. Every few seconds, someone would pause when she passed them. However, they mostly seemed confused about the sudden gust of air, not her actual appearance. Nearly sixty years had passed since Wan closed the portal to the spirit world. It didn't surprise her that some had chosen to forget it altogether.

A woman's scream caught her attention and Raava peered into the tent, seeing a figure laying on a bed. Suddenly, she was dragged towards the woman and her child. The baby cried out and she was looking through its eyes. _I've found you..._ Raava whispered to the child, who immediately fell quiet.

The mother looked down at her with a tenderness Raava didn't know humans were capable of. A man appeared by her side, his eyes alight with joy. "What should we call her?" he questioned in a warm voice.

After a few seconds of thinking, the woman looked up at him with a smile, "Asha. Her name will be Asha."

_Asha..._ Raava said the name kindly. Asha the new Avatar.

**.::.::.**

"Asha!"

The black-haired girl with large gray eyes looked up from the crown of flowers she was weaving. At six years old, she was still a child, but she seemed more mature than a normal girl. Her intelligence was strangely adept for such a young child, something that baffled the tutors, but she was not very social. At first, people thought she was just shy, but when she started avoiding everyone completely, concern arose.

_You should go to your mother, Asha._

"She'll make me practice my dancing though..." Asha protested quietly. She had learned to never answer Raava with a raised tone. For now, everyone speculated an imaginary friend, but what about when she was older? What if Raava wasn't gone by then?

_I thought you liked dancing_, Raava's voice was calm and more motherly than Asha's actual mother. Jin and Zigsa had loved their daughter when she was young, but the bump in Jin's stomach signified their discomfort with the withdrawn child. Perhaps this child would be upbeat and happy, unlike Asha.

They didn't know the real reason she avoided the other children; they wouldn't listen either. It might've just been her, but Asha wasn't particularly fond of being bullied. She was happy Raava was always willing to help her. "I _do_..." Asha speculated to the voice. Spirit, she corrected herself lightly. She was still too young to truly understand what a Spirit was, but Raava had said that's what she was. "But Mama makes it very boring."

Raava laughed. Asha may have been more mature than most children, but she was still young and bound to complain. When she heard the Spirit laughing, she pouted, "It's true, Raaba."

She couldn't quite pronounce her vs, something that never ceased to amuse Raava, similar to how Wan would often say something ridiculous in the middle of a fight. At the thought of Wan, Raava fell quiet. Asha seemed to notice the sudden silence because Raava never talked a lot, but she never stopped in the middle of a conversation. "Are you okay, Raaba?"

_Yes_, Raava replied after a second. _Nothing to worry about my dear._

Asha stood up, "Okay, Raaba. I'll go see what Mama wants."

She walked over to her mother, who was looking down at her from the door that led into the garden. Her smile seemed fake and forced and Asha's gaze immediately went to the hand resting on Jin's stomach. "What took you so long?"

Asha winced at the harshness in the woman's tone. "I was finishing this," she held up the crown to show her mother.

"For me?" Jin asked and plucked it out of Asha's small hand. Asha wanted to protest and say that it wasn't, but she decided against it in the same moment. "Thank you, Asha. Now, let's go over your routine for the guests tomorrow."

Asha said nothing as she shuffled after her mother into the house. It was not a large house, but it was not small either. Her father was the first-in-command in Anil, so his house would obviously be comfortable. Asha avoided eye contact with the servants that bustled around, preparing for the Aspired Monk's arrival the next day. Asha thought he was most likely kind, considering the fact he was the first monk to access the Spirit World after Avatar Wan closed the portals.

She was excited to meet him. She was not excited to perform her Bison Dance in front of him. One misstep and her parents would be furious with her for embarrassing them in front of such an esteemed person. Asha was grateful Raava was there to whisper the steps to her when she forgot. She followed her mother into the empty room used for Asha's training and started in her first position. _Right foot out first._

**.::.::.**

The Aspired Monk Ketu had traveled for weeks across the war torn terrain of the Earth Kingdom, only touching down when his bison Yun needed to rest or he needed supplies. He was a well-known man, renowned for being the first man to tame a flying bison as well as being the only alive man to enter the Spirit World. Many called him the first to do such a thing, but he knew that Wan, a great man with great purpose, was the only man to physically do so.

He could see that he was now quickly approaching the Air Villages, like one he had grown up in so many years ago. He wished he could stop to see his family, perhaps meet his younger sister, who'd been born after he left for the Air Master Temples. He could not though; Ketu was on a mission given to him by Wan many years ago. Wan had known he would die soon, but he also knew that he would be reincarnated. He gave Ketu, a naive boy that wanted nothing more than to travel, the task of locating his reincarnated self, who would be fused with Raava. The reason as to why he had been bestowed this important duty was one that Ketu often speculated about, but never reached a conclusion to.

However, he knew that this was something he could not fail in and something was drawing him to the Air Village of Anil. He had heard about the leader's strange daughter, a girl that seemed older than she really was. Even at this distance, he could see the prosperous village, which gained much of its money from soldiers passing through. The Air Villagers were peaceful, no doubt, but that did not mean they were unaffected by war.

Yun dived down and they were soon in the middle of the street. People stared at them with wide eyes, both terrified and enthralled. Ketu jumped off the bison, a stunt that did not go unnoticed by the women of Anil.

Ketu was a handsome man, even if he was just barely a man. Nineteen and an airbending master, an impressive feat to most, but Ketu had been taught by one of the first airbenders; he gave all the credit to that man. He ran a hand over his bald head, where a master airbender's tattoos were always displayed. It was used to show both their status and their pacifistic nature so soldiers didn't attack them.

After a few seconds of standing among the gawking villagers, he walked up to the closest woman. "Would you mind telling me where the leader lives?" he asked with a lazy smile.

She practically swooned, but instead she silently pointed to a large house at the end of the street. Well, it seemed large to Ketu, who had grown up with nothing but his room. He smiled at the girl and wandered away with Yun following. He knocked on the door, glancing at his flying bison. "I hope this is the right one, Yun," he muttered and the bison bobbed its head.

The door was opened by a pretty young servant girl, who immediately slammed it closed again at the sight of him. He blinked at the wood blankly before it was reopened, a tall man staring down at him. "What do you want?" he asked in a gruff voice.

"Um, I'm the Aspired Monk Ketu," he said, surprisingly intimidated by the man.

The man raised an eyebrow as he took in Ketu's tattoos. He looked back into Ketu's eyes before he bowed deeply, "You aren't supposed to come until tomorrow, Aspired One."

Ketu noted the man's sudden change in attitude and offered a smile, "I made it through Bei Fong territory quicker than expected.."

"Well, I'm Zigsa, the leader of Anil. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Aspired One. Please, come in."

"What about my bison?"

Zigsa's eyes turned towards the large creature before snapping back to Ketu's face, "You can put it in the garden."

"Her," the young monk corrected patiently.

"Her."

Ketu watched as the leader of Anil snapped his fingers and a servant came running up. After exchanging a few words, the servant disappeared. The large door to the garden opened as the servant tried to coax Yun into the area. Before he could do anything to help him, Ketu was being led through the halls by the wall of a man named Zigsa. It was hard to believe he was supposed to be a airbending master, but he bared his tattoos proudly on his shiny bald head.

"I was surprised when you contacted us, Aspired Monk. Might I ask what your business is in Anil?" Zigsa asked in a questioning tone.

Ketu wondered whether or not he should answer. Zigsa looked back at him sharply and he gulped. "I'm actually here to speak with your daughter. The monks at the Air Master Temples and I believe she may be the reincarnation of Wan."

A few seconds of silence passed before Zigsa let out a loud laugh. "My daughter? The reincarnation of Avatar Wan? You must be joking. She's nothing more than a strange little girl."

The Aspired Monk was shocked to hear the young girl's father speak of her in such a way. At that moment, a woman rounded the corner. "Who's here to visit us, Zigsa?" she called in a trill of a voice. Ketu saw that she was pregnant, which was odd, considering most didn't have their second child until their first was either dead or sent off to the Temples.

That's when he saw the little girl trailing after her, her eyes fixed on the floor. She seemed as though she didn't want to be seen. "It's the Aspired Monk, dear. And he claims that our daughter is the Avatar!"

The woman also laughed as she went to greet Ketu. She bowed. "Hello, I am Jin and this is my daughter Asha," she pulled Asha towards her sharply and the girl stumbled against her. "Say hello to the Aspired Monk, Asha."

Asha didn't say anything, but she flickered her eyes up to Ketu's quickly. "See," Jin said with a slight laugh. "Asha couldn't possibly be the Avatar. She can't even airbend."

The young girl turned her head to the side and Ketu doubted what her mother said was true. He knelt down so he was eye level with the child, "Is that true, Asha?"

She looked away again, but Ketu was determined to get the truth out of her. "Is that true, Asha?"

"Of course it's true," Jin snapped. "I would know, I'm her mother."

Ketu looked up at the woman before turning to Asha again, "I want to hear her say that. Can you airbend?"

It took a few moments, but Asha gave him the barest of a nod. Her mother looked down at he child as if she were crazy. "Don't lie, Asha!" Zigsa reprimanded his daughter and she dropped her head lower.

"Will you show me?" Ketu questioned softly.

Asha lifted her head the barest amount, her large gray eyes staring into his. She slowly raised her hand and a small ball of air formed on it. Zigsa and Jin gasped, staring at Asha in wonder. "Who taught you that?" Jin grabbed her daughter's arms, destroying the ball of air. She shook her once. "Who?!"

"Raaba..." Asha said in a quiet, almost whispered voice.

"Raaba's not real, Asha she's imaginary. Who actually taught you how to do that?"

Raaba? Raaba? Who was Rabba? He looked at Asha, "Can you say 'vent'?"

She looked at him very seriously, "Bent."

He smiled softly and that smile quickly turned into a laugh. "She's say Raava, not Raaba. She can talk to Raava. Don't you see, your daughter in the reincarnation of Wan."

Jin let go of her daughter, "Raava? Your imaginary friend in Raava?"

Asha nodded and looked away. "Raaba's my friend."

Suddenly, Ketu picked her up and spun her around. Asha let out an involuntary laugh before he set her down. He looked at Asha's parents. "I want to take Asha to the Air Master Temples to learn how to airbend. Then, I'll supervise her and make sure she learns the other elements."

Jin and Zigsa looked at their daughter with a whole new air than they had when Ketu first met them. Jin suddenly hugged Asha tightly, "You can't just take our daughter."

"The Air Masters are willing to compensate you," Ketu offered though he felt like these people didn't deserve it.

"In what?" Zigsa questioned.

"Silks, trade goods, Air Village gold."

Jin and Zigsa shared a glance before pushing Asha towards him. He took off his cloak and put it around her shoulders. "Go get your things," he told her.

"Where are we going?" she asked with wide eyes.

"Somewhere you can become a great Avatar."

She placed her hand on her chest, "Can Raaba come too?"

Ketu smiled, "Yes, Raava can come too."

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><p><em><strong>I hope you all liked it and I would really love if it you commented. ^.^<strong>_


	2. One: The Unsuspecting Masters

_**A lot of people (well, two) have been wondering about Asha's parents' change in attitude towards Asha. Rest assured, it will be explained later on. I even planning on adding in Asha's little sibling that wasn't born when she originally left. ^.^**_

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><p>When she had first come to the East Air Master Temple, Asha had been amazed by the stone structuring and the amount of space. She could have spent days watching the lemurs and the bison soaring through the air. The moment she arrived at the Temple though, it had been business and solely business. Asha had come to love airbending, especially with Raava and Ketu teaching her every step of the way.<p>

It was hard to believe that all of that had finally come to an end. She stared out over the expanse of land belonging solely to the Air Masters and the apprentices. The expanse built high in the sky. A small sigh escaped her as she leaned forward with her chin on her palm. Next to her, her peacock pigeon let out a small crow. She reached out and stroked her head, "That's right Bansi; it's our last full day here."

"Only because you've proved yourself, Asha," a familiar voice said behind her.

Asha spun around to face her airbending master. Ketu smiled warmly at her and she smiled back. Her eyes went to his tattoos. "Are you sure you don't want them?" he questioned as he looked at her unshaven head.

She shook her head, "When I'm done mastering all four elements, I'll be worthy of them."

Ketu shook his head with a chuckle. "You are one strange little airbender."

Asha laughed, "I know."

A long moment of silence passed between them before Asha move forward, engulfing Ketu in a hug. After a few seconds, he returned it. "I'll miss you," she whispered to him.

I'll miss him too, Raava said, making Asha giggle. She pulled away from her former master wnd huffed. She wouldn't cry. Asha didn't cry. Ketu reached out before placing a hand on her shoulder, "You will make a great Avatar, Asha."

_Yes, you will._

Everyone always told Asha that, but she knew she'd never be able to live up to Wan. He saved the world so many times that the historians had lost count. How could anyone live up to that? She could try though. That's all she could hope to do. Ketu looked out towards the sky, "Your new masters should be here shortly."

"Why can't I stay here though. It's save here. No one attacks the Air Master Temples," Asha protested.

_You know very well why you can't stay here._

"I know Raava, but still."

Ketu had long since gotten used to Asha's conversations with Raava and he could usually piece out what the Light Spirit said. He faced Asha, "The world needs you, Asha. We don't."

Asha sighed as she placed her hands on the balcony ledge. She hated the fact that she had to leave her home behind. It had been easy back then, leaving Anil. Everyone asked her why she had been so willing to leave. It seemed obvious to her.

The Temple was her home. Ketu came up to stand next to his former student. She glanced at him, her real fatherly figure. Why couldn't he come with her? She wanted at least one familiar face there aside from her peacock pigeon. As much as she loved Bansi, she wasn't much of a conversationalist. Raava would also be there, but the masters would probably think she's crazy when she starts talking to herself. That happened more often than Asha wanted. "It's not like we'll never see each other again, Asha. Our fates are entwined and it will soon be the same way with your new masters."

He will never be far from you, child.

"Only a few thousand miles," she huffed before looking at Ketu and bowing. "Thank you, for everything."

The sound of a horn made her bolt up, back straight. A bison descended from the sky, five people sitting on it. Asha found it lucky that Ketu had taught other airbenders how to tame the flying beasts. She grinned at Ketu and jumped off the ledge. Halfway down, she opened the glider another airbender had manufactured for her. She landed on the ground with Bansi seconds before the bison did. "Good Hee," she praised the creature as the airbender jumped off. "Hello, Chun. I trust your journey went well?"

Chun smiled warmly at the younger girl, "Very, I managed to find a master for all of the elements."

Asha watched the others climb off before looking back at Chun, "Then why are there four? I've already mastered airbending, Chun."

The airbender, barely older than twenty, laughed nervously. "You see, one of them refused to leave without his apprentice."

"Chun!" Ketu's soft voice called to them and he clapped a hand on the young bender's shoulder. "Show us what you've brought."

The four people Chun had brought with him walked around Hee's gigantic foot. They looked around in amazement and Ketu and Asha paused. They were all young. Younger than twenty at least. The girl in water tribe clothes looked like she was ten. "What is the meaning of this, Chun?" she hissed at the airbender, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye.

Chun gulped nervously as he came to stand in front of the Avatar. "I present to you: Miki, the prodigy master of the Northern Water Settlements; Kazuki, the Shining Dragon of the Fire Nation Militia-retired- and his brother and apprentice, Haruto; and the builder of the Wall of Ba Sing Se, also known as the Earth Mason, Daruka."

Asha looked at each of the bending masters. The only girl Miki was short, barely standing at Asha's waist and she was obviously young. Her large blue eyes still stared at the Temple in wonder and she barely seemed to realize she'd been introduced. Asha's eyes drifted to the firebending master, Kazuki. He was handsome, probably around eighteen or nineteen with smoldering amber eyes and black hair pulled tightly in a ponytail behind him. Even through his shirt, Asha could make out his muscles. He bowed stiffly to the Avatar and she moved on.

His brother, Haruto, about seventeen. Nothing incredibly special, still a bit scrawny with a lazy smile that vaguely reminded her of Ketu's. He winked at her and a bright blushed formed on her face as she looked to the next in the line.

Black hair, just barely passing the tips of his ears, and emerald green eyes that reminded Asha of the training fields not too far from here. He was not buff, like Kazuki, but his muscles were evident. He looked at her like a person, not lazily like Haruto or stiffly like Kazuki. He bowed. Daruka, the Earth Mason. Now this one she had heard of, but she never expected him to be so young... Asha blinked, she'd been staring at him too long, but why? _It's called infatuation, Asha._

"No one asked you," Asha snapped sharply, earning strange looks from the masters, including Miki who finally focused in on the conversation. Embarrassed, Asha bowed to them in return.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, this is Bansi," she gestured to her peacock pigeon, "And I'm-"

"Avatar Asha!" Miki interjected, her hands suddenly wrapped around Asha's. "Oh my gosh, I can't believe I'm meeting you; this is like a dream come true. And I get to teach you."

Asha blinked blankly at the young girl as Chun grabbed her by the waist. "Sorry," he said. "I should have warned you that Miki is a very large fan of the Avatar."

Miki nodded eagerly, "It's true. I know all of the stories about Wan and I can't wait to make history with you."

"Um... Thanks?" Asha wasn't sure how to respond to something like that. She'd never had fans before. Everyone at the Temple treated her the same way as everyone else. Unless she started talking to Raava, in which case, they'd look at her like she was insane. That was expected, of course

"If you're a master airbender," Haruto speculated as he circled around Asha. "Where are your tattoos?"

Asha poked him in the head with her staff, glaring at the firebender, "If you keep circling me like a sea vulture, I won't tell you anything."

"I apologize for my apprentice's inquisitiveness," Kazuki said with a bow, his gaze focused more on Haruto than Asha. "He can be a bit too curious at times."

"I'm your brother too, you know," Haruto grumbled as he crossed his arms over his chest. "And I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable, Avatar."

"Please, call me Asha."

Daruka walked forward, smiling warmly at Asha. "Are they always like this?" she questioned, watching the two siblings bicker and the waterbender staring at everything in wonder as she did something a leather bound journal of hers.

"Unfortunately, yes," Daruka laughed quietly. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Asha."

"And you as well."

He seems more sane than the others, Raava commented.

Ketu's voice rang out as he evaluated the four benders. "You must all be exhausted. Please, allow me to show you to your chambers."

"Can I room with Asha?!" Miki asked with her hand waving in the air. She had to shout it because had moved so far away from the group.

"I'm not sharing a room with him," Haruto declared, refusing to look at his brother.

Kazuki sighed as he rubbed his temple with his forefinger, "I'm afraid I must concur with Haruto. He is simply insufferable when he is in one of his moods."

"I would prefer a room by myself if that's not too much to ask," Daruka said softly. "I don't want to share a room with those below me."

Asha's hand collided with her forehead before she could stop it. _There's the catch_, Raava mumbled. _Chun seems to have picked out the most different group of people in the world, child._

"And complete nutcases," Asha muttered, only loud enough for Ketu and Raava to hear. Raava giggled at the statement

He smirked slightly before turning on his heel, "Unfortunately, we monks do not have much to offer so you will be rooming in Asha's chamber."

"Yes!" Miki jumped into the air while everyone else looked at the ground in disappointment, including Asha.

Bansi cooed at her and she put the bird on her shoulder. She followed after her former mentor, easily keeping pace with his long strides. "Why am I being punished?" she questioned in a whisper.

"You aren't, Asha. This is an opportunity to bond with your new masters," Ketu replied as he glanced back to make sure all four of them were following.

"But they're nutcases," she hissed.

Ketu lowered a gaze at the Avatar and she looked away, "Geez, fine..."

The master airbender smiled triumphantly before glancing at Asha again, "You know, you've changed since you've come to the Temple nine years ago."

She turned to him, "What do you mean?"

"You used to be so quiet. Now you're a blabbermouth."

"I am not! Why would you say something like that?" Asha retorted, crossing her arms over her chest.

"You're also a lot more hotheaded."

"Ketu!" she smirked at his surprised expression. "Ha! I can call you that now!"

She stomped away with a gloating grin on her face before she turned around to see her new masters looking at her with shocked expression. "What?" she asked with a cocked eyebrow. "I've had to call him Master Ketu ever since I met him. He's not my master anymore."

"Does that mean you're going to call us master?" Daruka asked. "I kind of like the sound of that. Master Daruka."

"Oh my gosh, the Avatar calling me Master Miki!" Miki fanned herself, looking like she was going to faint.

"What about me. Is she going to call me Master Haruto."

"You aren't a master yet, Haruto!" Kazuki snapped, slapping his brother on the back of the head.

"That hurt, Kazuki!"

"That's Master Kazuki to you," he replied with his same stoic expression he had since Asha met him.

"I'm not calling you that."

"Commoners must find it fit to argue with each other," Daruka mumbled.

"Miss Avatar! Can you talk to Raava?"

Asha slowly backed away from the group of crazy masters, but she stopped when she realized Ketu had disappeared. Instead she turned and slammed her head against the stone wall. "Why is Chun a walking magnet for weirdos?"

I'm sure they're good people, Asha.

"Yes, I'm sure," she glanced down at Miki who was circling her, scribbling in that journal of hers, then at Kazuki and Haruto, who were still arguing, and Daruka as he stood in the corner, shaking his head and muttering something about "peasants". Asha glanced at Bansi. "This is going to be a long night."

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><p><em><strong>Hope you liked it. Once again, feel free to comment. I hope you like the new masters. They are kind of... crazy... ^.^<strong>_


	3. Two: The Legend Begins

**I decided to post in honor of the series finale. It's over! It's all over! At least Asha's journey is only beginning. ^.^ I'm going to go cry in a corner while you read this...**

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><p>"So, why aren't you training here?" Miki questioned as everyone situated their stuff on Asha's bison, Maitreya.<p>

The Avatar stroked the snout of the beast and looked up at her new Waterbending master. She let out a small sigh, "The Air Masters think it's time I start doing my duty as the Avatar and try to bring peace to the world."

_It is time, Asha. You're fifteen years old._

"I know, Raava," she muttered.

"Do you think you can?" Haruto asked as he laid back against Maitreya's saddle.

Kazuki threw something at him, "Get to work, Haruto."

The younger firebender grumbled something under his breath and started strapping things down. Asha sighed and propelled herself onto the saddle. Miki clapped as if it was some big accomplishment. Asha overlooked their progress. She only had a bag of stuff, considering the fact that the Air Masters didn't believe in materialistic possessions. Of course, she had Bansi and Maitreya, but they didn't really count as possessions. "So, we're leaving when exactly?" Daruka asked as he tied the last of his stuff to the bison's saddle.

_That's a good question, how long are you going to put this off, Asha?_

Asha ignored the spirit and looked up at the sky, "When the sun is directly above us."

"So... Now?" Kazuki confirmed with slight confusion as he stared up at the clouds.

"No, in about five minutes," she told him. She looked to the side and saw Ketu approaching with some of the other Air Masters and one or two apprentices. With a grin, she jumped off Maitreya. "Thank you for everything, everyone," she said as she bowed to them.

They bowed in return and the eldest of the Air Masters stepped forward. "We want to thank you, Asha," he said. "You will make a wonderful Avatar."

So everyone kept telling her. She genuinely hoped she could live up to their expectations. "Thank you," she said instead.

She jumped onto Maitreya's head and waved to everyone. "Maitreya, iku!"

The bison leaped into the air and the four people behind her gasped in surprise. As Maitreya soared higher, Asha looked back at the place she had called home for the past nine years. It eventually disappeared into the background and Asha turned away. Bansi jumped off her shoulder to fly next the bison while Asha climbed onto the saddle. "So," Miki asked as the Avatar took out her map. "Where to first?"

_Somewhere not completely ravaged by war_, Raava suggested.

"Good idea," Asha agreed as she looked over the map. Ketu had marked it with places to avoid until she mastered the elements and he had also marked places where small scrimmages were. "How about here?" she pointed to a small Water Settlement in the South called Onartok. It wasn't marked, but it was near the villages of Qaniit and Siku, where small conflicts were rising. "If we go to Onartok, we can rest there and Miki can start teaching me Waterbending. And if there are conflicts that need to be dealt with in Qaniit and Siku, we can deal with them."

"Sounds good to me, but isn't Onartok a bit far?" Haruto questioned.

"Yes, but it's the smallest of the conflicts. We need to start off kind of easy."

"But we're masters," Daruka said a bit condescendingly.

"And I'm an Master Airbender, but I don't want to be in the middle of learning an element when we need to fight in an actual war," Asha snapped.

"I agree with the Avatar," Kazuki said as he watched the skies vigilantly.

"Me too," Miki quipped. "Although, I have to ask why you want to learn Waterbending first?"

"I'm going in the order Wan learned, but I'm doing fire last. It was Ketu's idea. He knew Wan."

"Really? That's so cool!" Miki exclaimed as she clapped her hands together.

Daruka rolled his eyes and leaned over Maitreya's saddle. "I hate being in the air," he grumbled. "Why can't we travel by badger mole or something more practical? What about my needs?"

_He thinks a badger mole is practical?_ Raava questioned a bit skeptically.

Bansi fluttered down next to Asha while she giggled slightly. They stayed silent for a few minutes when Daruka abruptly sat up straight. "I hate to break it to you guys, but a huge fireball is flying right at us," he said with a slightly panicked expression.

_At an air bison?_

"What? Why would they fire at an air bison?!" Asha leaped forward and saw that he was right. She jumped onto Maitreya's head, guiding the bison away from the fireball. The others gripped the saddle as she turned to the side.

Kazuki jumped up and deflected another incoming fireball. "Haruto, help me out here!"

Haruto attempted to balance himself as Asha navigated through the fireballs, but he slipped and nearly fell off. "Slow down!" Daruka shouted at the Avatar.

"I would if I could! Everyone hold on." she responded before she took a nosedive.

The others yelped in surprise and abruptly found themselves next to a Fire Nation ship. They weren't big, constructed on wood and some stone. It was a wonder they didn't burn up and Asha assumed they used some kind of fire resilient covering. Kazuki pushed himself into a standing position as the Fire Nation soldiers stared at Maitreya in surprise. "Stop this!" he yelled, holding his hands up. "We are not warring folk."

A moment of silence passed over the people before a gruff voice shouted out. "How can we believe you?" a large man pushed himself to the front of the crowd. He was obviously the captain on the ship

Asha stood, "The flying bison should be enough to indicate-"

"Indicate what? That you're peaceful? The last time we trusted people riding sky bison, our fleet was almost annihilated."

_This must be some kind of mistake, Asha._

The Avatar stared at the ship's captain in disbelief. Air Masters had attacked the Fire Nation ships? She honestly couldn't believe it. "There must be some mis-"

"I know they were Air Masters," the captain interrupted her again, seeming to get more agitated with each passing moment. "They had the tattoos and everything. So I ask again: why should we believe you?"

Confused, Asha looked down at Bansi, who had landed next to her. She then glanced at her new masters and Haruto. How could Air Masters attack anyone? They were supposed to be neutral in all wars unless it directly involved them. They must have had some reason. She turned back to the captain, "Will you give me one minute?"

Without waiting for his permission, she jumped on the saddle and took out her map again. She knew for a fact it wasn't the East Air Temple that attacked them. She would've noticed that many bison taking off. Anyone would've. Her eyes scanned for the nearest Air Temple and she found it easily. The Central Air Temple. She recalled Ketu saying something about them being cut off from the other Temples. It hadn't seemed like anything then, but now... _Do you really think they could be attacking people?_

"I don't know..."

"What is it, Miss Asha?" Miki asked in a soft voice next to her.

"It looks like we have our first problem to solve," Asha muttered before she turned back to the captain. "I promise you, we will stop these raids. I'm sorry for your losses."

Before he could reply she moved back to Maitreya's head and mumbled "iku". The beast lifted into the air. Bansi settled down on her lap as Asha turned her bison in the direction on the Central Air Master Temple. "Are there actually Air Masters attacking the Fire Nation?" Daruka questioned once the ships had become nothing more than a dot.

"I dearly hope not,"Asha replied. "But the Central Air Masters cut themselves off from the world before the death of Wan. There's no telling what they've been doing. What I don't understand is why I'm only learning about this now. Ketu has companions all over the world. He surely would've known about something like this."

Kazuki sighed and flopped onto his back again, "Aren't Air Masters supposed to be detached from the world though? You know, freedom and all that jazz?"

"In a way, yes," Asha nodded. "However, with the world engulfed in war, it is a bit difficult to avoid becoming attached. The Central Air Temple is the only one that's achieved it so far."

"Is that where we're going?" Miki asked as she stroked Bansi, who had settled down in her lap. "The Central Air Master Temple?"

"Yes, but I'm afraid of what we may find."

* * *

><p>It wasn't long until night fell and they were forced to land because Maitreya was exhausted. The boys set up camp while Miki decided it would be a good time to start teaching Asha Waterbending. Asha stood ready next to the river as Miki bended a ball of water out of it. She passed it around her head a few times. "Water is a loose element. The element of change," she explained quietly. "It relies mostly on arm movement. Close your eyes, imagine yourself floating on a still lake."<p>

Asha did as she was told. She could practically feel the water surrounding her as she a deep breath. "Now, relax," Miki's voice was soothing enough that she did relax. It was more than she had relaxed in a long time. "Move your arms towards and away from your body like the tides of the ocean. Now, open your eyes."

The Avatar opened her gray eyes and found the ball of water floating in front of her.

_You're waterbending, Asha._ Raava said in delight.

When she moved her arms out, it followed the movement. In, towards her. She guided the water back to the river. "That felt..."

"Amazing? Yeah, waterbending is very relaxing."

With a small sigh of contentment, Asha stretched out her arms. "Can we do it again?"

Miki grinned brightly, "I thought you'd never ask!"

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry it's a little short. Looks like we've got an issue going on. Yes, I know there is not Central Air Temple, but that's kind of the point. It's located halfway between the other Air Temples, in case you're wondering.<strong>


End file.
